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Born & raised in Florida for 30 years Now looking to move to NY/NY/CT to be closer to significant other's children who live in Marlboro, NY. Have read MANY postings about surrounding areas. Have two small children of my own so schools need to be a consideration. Would like to be within 1.5 hrs of NYC, but don't want to be too rural. PLEASE HELP!!! Any suggestions/comments will help. DON'T WANT TO GO ANY FURTHER NORTH!!! (Too cold ) THANK YOU in advance.
Wappingers schools may be a little suspect from what I understand. Personally, if I were moving north of Westchester I would check out the area with Cornwall Schools. In addition to the schools it looks like they are making significant contributions to transportation infrastructure maybe a rail-line for NYC commuting and upgrades for Stewart Airport. Please check into these details as I do not live in the area. I have been searching different areas along the Hudson River and School district is of primary importance to my wife and myself. However, we are looking to stay in Westchester but if I were to move North of Westchester it would be to New Windsor. Good living for the $ comparitively to the surrounding areas, great outdoor activities with Bear Mountain, close to ARMY, good schools, nice proximity to Culinary Institue as well as Wappingers, and finally close to the airport if you need to get back to sunny FLA.
Thank you for your reply!!!
I'm a little confused. I thought Westchester was a "county". Is it a city too? How far from NYC is it? Do you have school age children? How do you feel about the schools there?
Westchester is a county, you are correct. The schools in the county vary because they are administered on a city/town/village basis, which is at the root of high property taxes in many parts of the county. Some school districts are absolutely top-notch, and others tend to be more towards the middle of the pack, with some that have problems, though individual schools in such districts can perform very well.
Westchester is the first county outside of New York City to the north, so parts of it are only a few miles from Manhattan, though it's a large county and other areas are 40-50 miles from Manhattan. How close to the city and to Wappingers Falls do you want to be? You could be midway (roughly) between the two in Northern Westchester. There are neighboring areas of Putnam County that are nice and have good schools as well, a little closer to Wappingers Falls.
A couple of questions could help to recommend specific areas to you. Do you need a Manhattan commute on a daily basis? Will you or your SO need to commute to the city for work? I know you need schools, and there are some good districts to recommend in Westchester and Putnam. Do you want a house in a town, or semi-rural area? Are you planning to rent or to buy? And, what is your preferred price range for renting/buying? These questions can really help to narrow down the area, since it ranges from estates that sell for multimillion dollar amounts to houses that are merely expensive compared to other areas of the country. There are some great towns to consider at all price points, however, with good schools, and fairly convenient commutes, depending upon where you need to go for work, and how close you want to be to Wappingers Falls.
Not really sure yet about whether we will need transportation to the city daily. We are both nurses and are thinking the pay would probably be better in the city. We will definitely be renting, preferred price range $2000/month. I would prefer a place in town. Biggest concern driving my decision: schools (public)!! Doesn't necessarily have to be Wappingers Falls but found a nice set of townhomes there. THANK YOU again for all your help.
As noted, the quality of schools vary considerably in the entire area, but that aside I will offer this. I lived in Westchester for a number of years and finally moved to Wappingers. There is no way in hell you could get me to live in Westchester again... any part of it. Between the taxes, the traffic, the horrible road conditions and the 'attitudes' I've found it better to avoid Westchester if possible. Putnam is a little better, but there's nothing in Putnam. Dutchess and Orange counties seem to be where it's happening, although the salaries typically don't reflect this trend. There are a lot of people from the NYC and Westchester areas moving to Dutchess Co. and it isn't hard to tell. The traffic has increased significantly in the Wappingers and Fishkill areas and with the influx comes the 'attitude' and increasing crime rates. There is no doubt in my mind that lower Dutchess Co. will soon become as much a place to avoid as Westchester. If you choose west of the Hudson in Orange Co watch the taxes. You may want to rent now, but might consider purchasing a home at some point. There are some pretty dumpy areas of Orange Co with much higher taxes than should be levied.
Sorry that I can't help you much in regard to the questions you've asked. I've passed through Wappingers Falls once, last fall. Here is a link to some pictures I took of the downtown area, thought you might like to take a look:
Wappingers Falls, NY in '08 - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/sets/72157606913657234/ - broken link)
Sorry that I can't help you much in regard to the questions you've asked. I've passed through Wappingers Falls once, last fall. Here is a link to some pictures I took of the downtown area, thought you might like to take a look:
Wappingers Falls, NY in '08 - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22001166@N00/sets/72157606913657234/ - broken link)
the pictures look like a movie set ... im thinking of moving there myself!!
Born & raised in Florida for 30 years Now looking to move to NY/NY/CT to be closer to significant other's children who live in Marlboro, NY. Have read MANY postings about surrounding areas. Have two small children of my own so schools need to be a consideration. Would like to be within 1.5 hrs of NYC, but don't want to be too rural. PLEASE HELP!!! Any suggestions/comments will help. DON'T WANT TO GO ANY FURTHER NORTH!!! (Too cold ) THANK YOU in advance.
Im looking to move to wappingers myself. I'm from the Bronx and I could tell you what is good and not good in this area but in wappingers i hear that it is a good area all around. schools are good as well. I have a 4 yr old who will start start kinder in sept so I'm trying to get up there soon!
Wappingers Falls was the first town I lived in when I moved to New York. I love it! I still have friends in the area & do
business downstate often; so I have seen the growth these past 20+ years.
I liked the ease of getting around; being able to hop the Metro without any hassle. Fishkill, Hopewell Junction, LaGrange - all nice towns IMO. If you have a choice, try to find a residence in the Arlington school district. (I think that's the name of the district I'm thinking of...) That district consistently gets top ratings...since I don't have kids - I can't vouch for that. Hopefully someone else will chime in.
My friend's kids went to John Jay HS in Fishkill & they loved it. Both are doing very well, good college entrance scores, etc. I think some of the towns & school districts overlap each other. You might have a Town of Poughkeepsie address but still be in the Wappingers schools.
After so many years in Florida, wait until you see the autumn! Plan to at least check out Bear Mountain & West Point area across the river. The view is breath-taking! And pick up a copy of Hudson Valley Magazine. It is a great source of info on things to do & see in the region. I live 90 minutes north now & I still subscibe to HVM - it's worth it! They also do a yearly ranking of hospitals, doctors; schools & colleges in the Valley...good info for families relocating.
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Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Now looking to move to NY/NY/CT to be closer to significant other's children who live in Marlboro, NY. Have read MANY postings about surrounding areas. Have two small children of my own so schools need to be a consideration. Would like to be within 1.5 hrs of NYC, but don't want to be too rural. PLEASE HELP!!! Any suggestions/comments will help. DON'T WANT TO GO ANY FURTHER NORTH!!! (Too cold 
) THANK YOU in advance.
Wappingers Falls
) That district consistently gets top ratings...since I don't have kids - I can't vouch for that. Hopefully someone else will chime in.
Plan to at least check out Bear Mountain & West Point area across the river. The view is breath-taking! And pick up a copy of Hudson Valley Magazine. It is a great source of info on things to do & see in the region. I live 90 minutes north now & I still subscibe to HVM - it's worth it! They also do a yearly ranking of hospitals, doctors; schools & colleges in the Valley...good info for families relocating.
